Thursday, May 5, 2016

The False Virtue Of Personal Beliefs

Story: Tow truck driver refuses to tow motorist over Bernie bumper sticker

Within this story is the ridiculous but accepted idea that it is a virtue for people to "fight for what they believe in."

"Something came over me, I think the Lord came to me, and he just said get in the truck and leave," said Ken Shupe of Shupee Max Towing in Traveler's Rest, S.C.  "And when I got in my truck, you know, I was so proud, because I felt like I finally drew a line in the sand and stood up for what I believed."


When people act on their beliefs simply because they are beliefs, then that person is immoral because beliefs are not virtuous by default. They can be absolutely horrible, as is the case with this tow truck driver who left a woman stranded on the side of the highway because she had a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker.

We need to quit promoting this anything-goes-if-I-believe-it claim as something worthy of praise. Our attention should be on the results of actions claimed to be based on beliefs, which have no basis for being considered virtuous simply because they exist.

If your beliefs suck, then they deserve to be abandoned. That is the virtuous thing to do.
 

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